Archos planning Archos TV+

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Archos is prepping the launch of Archos TV+, a set-top Wi-Fi multimedia PVR-esque device that will move the company from capable PMP manufacturer to a living room presence.

The new product is designed to be an entertainment hub, the same as Apple TV, or the Media Extenders coming to market at the moment.

The Archos TV+ will let users stream content from their PCs, but goes a step further and, like their top of the range handheld products, will also be capable of recording from TV and surfing the web.

Complete with a remote control, the Archos TV+ will be available in two HDD sizes - 80GB and 250GB - and will cost around £170 and £240 when launched in the UK.

Playback file support looks respectable, rather than all encompassing, and it will work with MPEG4, WMV, H.264, MP3, WMA, WAV, common pic formats, and will record in MPEG4 at 640 x 480 VGA resolution.

Connectivity will be 802.11g Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB 2.0 and S-Video with HDMI output.

Crucially for existing Archos owners and fans, the TV+ box will play nice with all fifth gen Archos PMPs so content can be transferred and shared to and from the portable, and set-top offerings.

The UK launch has not yet been timetabled, but the device will be on show in January at CES, which Pocket-lint will be attending, so if it hasn't made it to market by then, we will bring you a report, and pics, from the show floor.